MHCA puts infrastructure priorities on Winnipeg Council
Association welcomes new, returning municipal council members across Manitoba
The municipal elections this week give the MHCA renewed advocacy purpose to ensure that core infrastructure strategy and investment are top priorities of Winnipeg’s and rural municipal councils.
The election, which returned Mayor Brian Bowman to office, saw the new council composed almost equally of returning and new representatives.
“We welcome all council members, in Winnipeg and rural municipalities, and thank them – and those who were not elected – for running for office,” said MHCA President Chris Lorenc. Lorenc himself was a Winnipeg councillor from 1983 to 1992.
Lorenc said MHCA will be reaching out soon to the new council members to open discussion about the infrastructure priorities in Winnipeg, which include confirming the program for street renewal rises each year by the $11 million raised from the 2% annual levy dedicated to that purpose.
Further, work remains to be done on moving procurement practices along, to ensure that tenders are advertised well in advance of the construction season each year, making the most of the limited months available to get that work done.
In the rural municipalities, especially in the Capital Region, the MHCA has been and will continue to work closely to ensure that access to aggregate deposits – the foundation of all infrastructure projects across Manitoba – is secure. Recent amendments to the Planning Act have made progress on the goal of ensuring that applications for pits and quarries that meet required regulatory hurdles are not obstructed.
In Winnipeg, the new council will get its bearings in the first week of November. Attention will then quickly shift to the 2019 budget preparation. Typically, the city’s preliminary budget is released at the end of November and approved within a month or so. That may be delayed due to the election campaign.
“We’ve had good relations with Mayor Bowman and with successive chairs of the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works committee and we know that foundation will serve Winnipeggers well as we concentrate on reducing the infrastructure investment deficit,” Lorenc noted. “There remains a substantial gap between what is and what must be invested in our streets and roads, to bring our transportation system to good shape, as a whole.”
